After a key South Bay grief counseling program abruptly closed in December because a major funder pulled out, two of its longtime leaders refused to let the work disappear. Janet Childs, a cofounder of the original Centre for Living with Dying in the 1970s, and former program director Sue Cronin are creating a new nonprofit, Footsteps Forward, to revive crisis counseling and training across the region. They say the goal is to quickly fill what they see as a sudden and serious gap in support for survivors, families, and first responders.
Funding Shortfall Forced Closure
The Bill Wilson Center, which had operated the Centre for Living with Dying as one of its programs for about two decades, told staff in a November 8 letter that the program would close after the loss of a “major grant” that had funded its grief services. A Bill Wilson Center representative later confirmed that the center shut down in December, cutting off an on-call pool of trained counselors who responded to traumatic events around the South Bay. These developments were reported by San José Spotlight.
Founders Launch Footsteps Forward
Childs and Cronin say Footsteps Forward is expected to launch within three to four months. They plan to start with a core staff of three and lean on a broader network of volunteers. The new nonprofit is set to offer grief counseling, crisis response, and workshops tailored to both first responders and community members, and the founders say they are already in contract talks with several South Bay agencies.
“Whether someone just experienced horrific loss and they're in survival mode, or if they're on their healing journey and they're ready to thrive and take classes, we will stand beside them,” Cronin told San José Spotlight.
A Decades-Long Safety Net
According to the Bill Wilson Center, the Centre for Living with Dying offered individual counseling, specialized support groups and on-scene crisis response, along with Critical Incident Stress Management trainings for responders and clinicians. Its Healing Heart work focused on children and teens, and the organization lists a centralized intake for grief services on its website. Those offerings, from peer-support workshops to clinical supervision, are exactly the kinds of services that Childs and Cronin say they want Footsteps Forward to continue for the region.
Why This Matters To The South Bay
When large-scale trauma shook the South Bay, public officials and local organizations often pointed survivors and families to Bill Wilson Center hotlines and crisis teams. That pattern is clear in a release from Santa Clara County after the 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting, which highlighted counseling and support services tied to the program.
The center’s crisis-response capacity has long served as a bridge between first responders at the scene and longer-term grief support for families and communities. Local leaders now warn that losing a dedicated program trims back already limited specialized options. Community advocates say Footsteps Forward, even as a small nonprofit, will be tested immediately as it tries to meet demand while also building a stable funding base.
How To Get Help And What's Next
People seeking grief counseling can still contact the Bill Wilson Center’s centralized intake for grief services or its main phone line, which are listed on the organization’s website. Childs and Cronin say they plan to publish a newsletter with updates as the new nonprofit recruits volunteers and finalizes contracts with local agencies.
In the meantime, they are focusing on training peer supporters and keeping crisis-response skills active in the community as they work to officially get Footsteps Forward up and running.
